Friction tag holder



Dec. 29, 1959 H. KAUFMAN 2,918,742

FRICTION TAG HOLDER Filed April 27, 1959 /8 3/ xgsgggmms IN STOCK IN V EN TOR. Herman Kaufi'nan United States Patent 2,918,742 I FRICTION TAG HOLDER Herman Kaufman, Laurelton, N.Y., assignor to Timely Novelty Corporation, New York, N.Y., a corporation of New York Application April 27, 1959, Serial No. 809,257

Claims. (Cl. 40-23) This invention relates to tag holders and particularly to the type designed to hold removable and interchangeable tags, labels, advertising, and the like, and to be used repeatedly.

Identifying tags, tickets or labels are usually attached by means of fasteners of some kind such as pins, string, staples, adhesive or the like to samples of merchandise displayed for sale as in retail stores. Should the sample be made of relatively fragile material such as textile fabric of cloth or plastic, it is hardly possible to avoid making holes in the material when the tag is attached thereto, or otherwise damaging the merchandise. Furthermore, tags of the type in common use become soiled by customer handling and become displeasing and unreadable when the sample is long displayed so that the tag must be replaced. When pins or metallic fasteners of any kind are used to attach the tags to the displayed samples, a projecting part of the fastener sometimes catches in the clothing of a passer-by with consequent damage.

The invention therefore contemplates the provision of a transparent tag holder devoid of pins or other fasteners and removably receiving and protecting the tag as well as that part of the article of merchandise covered by the holder, the holder being readily attached to and removed from the article together with the tag as a unit merely by a sliding movement and being firmly held on the article solely by friction and hence eliminating danger of any appreciable damage thereto.

The invention further contemplates the provision of a spring pressed tag holder of two substantially identical members each for one card, which cards can quickly and easily be replaced by others, the members being urged toward each other by spring means to grip the article inserted between and to crimp a small portion of the article slightly if the article is made of relatively thin sheet material, thereby to prevent displacement of the holder or loss thereof.

The invention further contemplates the provision of a durable and relatively permanent tag holder for a pair of cards or tags, which adjusts itself automatically to the thickness of the sheet to which it is attached, which displays a card on each face of the sheet and which is adapted for easy attachment to and removal from various types and thicknesses of material and articles made therefrom such as curtains, draperies, tablecloths, bed sheets, garments, decorative papers and the like.

The various objects of the invention will be clear from the description which follows and from the drawings, in which Fig. 1 is an elevational view of the tag holder as it appears in place at the upright edge of a fabric sheet such as a curtain, one of the tags or cards being visible through one member of the holder at one face of the article.

Fig. 2 is a top plan view thereof.

Fig. 3 is a side elevational view thereof.

Fig. 4 is an elevational view of a second inventory card adapted for insertion into the second member of the holder to appear at the rear or back of the tagged article.

Fig. 5 is a foreshortened vertical sectional view of a member of the holder on an enlarged scale showing in dash-dot lines the upper end portion of the: second member and the article held therebetween.

Fig. 6 is a perspective view of the holder as it appears spread apart as far as is permitted by its springs.

Fig. 7 is a similar view of one of the springs.

In the practical embodiment of the invention shown by way of example, the holder comprises two substantially identical and coextensive members 10 and 11 arranged in opposition to and in face to face relation to each other. Each of the members is preferably molded in a single piece of suitable clearly transparent plastic such as styrene and comprises a flat and relatively thin body portion 12 having a pair of transversely extending end flanges outstanding therefrom. Flanges 13 and 14 are arranged on the member 10, a similar pair of flanges on the member 11 being numbered 13a and 14a respectively.

The flange 13 or 13a projects laterally from the inner face 15 of the body portion and is tongued to form the transversely extending tongue 16 having converging edges. One face of the flange is coplanar and continuous with the end edge of the body portion and forms therewith the widened end edge of the member. The other flange 14 or 14a also projects laterally from the inner face of the body portion but is grooved to form the transversely extending groove 17 having converging walls corresponding to the edges of the tongues 16 and similarly forms a widened end edge at the other end of the member. When the holder is unattached, the tongue 16 of one member enters the adjacent groove 17 of the other member enough to bring the tongue into contact with the walls of the groove.

The individual or separate members are held together and urged to move laterally toward each other to carry the tongues into the grooves by means of a pair of suitable generally C-shaped wire springs as 18 each open at one end thereof and each arranged to extend transversely part way across the body portion 12 and laterally across the flanges 13 and 14a, or 13a and 14 and thereby to embrace part of the adjacent end portions of both members. As best seen in Figs. 7 and 2, each spring comprises the laterally spaced apart and inwardly converging legs 19, 20 integrally joined at one end of the spring by the cross bar 30 and each of lesser length than the width of the body portion 12. The other end of the leg 19 at the open end of the spring is bent toward the leg 20 to form the short finger 2.1 while the other end of the leg 20 is bent toward the finger 21 to form the short finger 22. Suitable grooves are provided at the end portions of the flanges and the body portions for the reception of parts of the spring thereby to conceal and protect the greater parts of the springs and to permit the easy removal thereof for repair, replacement as well as the easy assembly thereof to the members.

As shown, a groove 23 is made in the outer face 24 of the body portion 12 parallel to the flanges and opposite the bottom of each groove 17 or opposite the innermost edge of each tongue 16 as the case may be, so that the spring pressure is exerted in the plane passing through the middle of the tongue and groove. The groove 23 is preferably slightly longer than the legs 19, 20 of the spring to permit the fingers 21, 22 to be inserted readily into opposed grooves and to permit said fingers to slide easily into the final operative positions thereof. Said groove 23 merges with a suitable groove 29 extending across the ends of adjacent flanges and provided for the reception therein of the cross bar 30.

To aid in holding the Spring in place, a laterally extending hole 25 (Fig. 5) is made part way through the thickness of each flange in and near the end of the groove 23 to deepen said groove at a fulcrum point of the spring, the hole being deep enough to receive'the finger 21 or 22 when the cross bars 30 are in the grooves 29 as they normally are when the holder is completely assembled. I

In the assembled position of the holder, the members 16 and 11 are urged toward each other by the springs 38, the tongues of the flanges are in the grooves of the opposed flanges and one member can be pivoted or swung relatively to the other about a finger of the spring as a fulcrum to spread the members apart to a considerable extent at the right hand edge of the holder as viewed in Figs. 1 and 6, and to a lesser extent at the left hand edge of'the holder'as limited by the length'of the cross bar 30. v

Means are provided on each member for holding a card as 27 or 28. As best seen in Fig. 5 said means comprises the depending flanges 31 and 32 extending toward each other from the respective flanges 13a and 14a and in parallel spaced relation to the body portion 12 to provide the spaces 33 into which the end portions of the card fits snugly but slidably. A card is easily inserted into the spaces 33 of each member and moved transversely of the member until it is inside'of and registers with the body portion and is visible therethrough, so that each member carries a card, one seen through one member and the other visible through the other member. The card 27 may be arranged at the back of the tagged article 35 and suitably imprinted with appropriate information as 36. In thiscase, the indicia designate the brand, material and size of the goods and provide'an inventory table showing thenumber of each color in'stock." Theother card28 maybe imprinted with suitable advertising or"descriptive'matter a s's howh in Fig. 1. The cards may readily be removed from the spaces 33 therefor by merely inserting the tips of the users fingers between the members to spread the members apart slightly against the action of the springs 18 and about the spring fingers and sliding the card out. It is unnecessary to spread the members when sliding the card into place since the spaces 33 are readily accessible from the open side edges of the holder.

After the cards or tags have been inserted, that edge of the holder which does not have the grooves 29'n0r the cross bars 3% of the springs, which edge is at the right hand side as viewed in Figs. 1 and 6, is brought to the edge 37 of the sheet 35 which is to be tagged. To enable the holder to slide easily on to the sheet, the right hand end portions of the flanges 13, 13a, 14 and 14a are partly cut away or tapered by the inclined surfaces 38 to provide a flared or enlarged entrance opening 39 into the space between the members when said members are spread laterally apart against the action of the springs 18. If the sheet is relatively thick and stiff, the holder is merely pushed transversely into place and spreads apart sufliciently under the pressure thereon, without distorting the sheet, to permit the sliding thereof on to the sheet. If the sheet is flexible and thin, the members are first spread apart and held in such position until part of the sheet is inserted therebetween, after which the remainder of the mounting operation is readily performed, the members spreading automatically as the holder slides into place, and the sheet being held against distortion if necessary.

The springs urge the members toward each other and thereby force the tongues 13, 13a against a portion of the sheet, which is not too stifl, is slightly crimped as the tongues enter the grooves 14, 14a as best seen in Fig. 5. Such slight crimping is suflicient to maintain the ho der against displacement, the'holder being attached solely by friction to the sheet due the contact of the sheet with the tongued and grooved flanges.

It'will now' be seen that the holder is strong and durable, capable of repeated use, removal and re-attachment and permitting change of cards as often as may be desired; that the holder is self-adjusting to various thicknesses of material, is usable for many types of sheets even of a smooth and glossy nature without danger of displacement, avoids damage to the sheet or article such as would be caused by fasteners, is easily assembled, repaired, attached and removed, and consequently is well designed to attain the intended objects of the invention.

While certain specific forms of the invention have herein been shown and described, various obvious changes may be made therein without departing from the spirit of the invention defined by the appended claims.

Iclaim:

1. A tag holder comprising a pair of similar opposed individual transparent members each having spaced apart projections thereon, and spring means separably conmeeting the members and urging the members laterally toward each other to cause the projections to engage a portion of a sheet inserted between the members and to crimp and grip said portion' and thereby to attach the'members-frictionally to the sheet, each of the members having-means thereon for'removably'holding a card therein. I h H g I I 2. The tag holder of claim 1, the projections comprising a grooved'end'flange adjacent one end edge of each member and a tongued end flange adjacent the other end edge of each member, the members being normally maintained by the spring means in an operative position wherein the tongued flange of one member enters the groovedflangeof the other member. I v

' 3.'The tag h-older of claim 1, the spring meanscomp' i'si gf 'i si start i ta embracing w responding end por'tions at-agiven end of the holder, a similar length of Wire similarly embracing the end portions at the other "e nd of the holder, each of the lengths having a pair of legs in transverse spaced relation to each other and each joined to the other leg at an end thereof by a laterally extending cross bar, the legs converging toward the other ends of the legs, and a relatively short finger projecting from the other end of each of the legs toward the other finger, each of the members having a laterally extending hole at each end portion thereof receiving one of the fingers.

4. A tag holder comprising a pair of similar transparent members arranged in opposed face to face relation and coextensive with each other, a first flange having a transversely extending groove therein and projecting laterally from one end portion of each member, a second flange having a transversely extending tongue thereon and extending laterally from the other end portion of each member, a spring at each end portion urging the tongue of each member-into the groove of the other member, and means on each of the members for holding a card removably thererin.

5. The tag holder of claim 4, the spring having a pair of transversely spaced apart legs and a connecting bar joining the legsat one end of the spring, the members having grooves therein for the reception of the legs and the connecting bar, the legs being yieldable laterally to permit separation of the members laterally against the action of thespring.

6. The tag holder of claim 4, each of the members having a body portion joining the flanges of the member, the outer face of each member having a transverse groove therein opposite each of' the flanges for the reception of a legof the spring, the means for holding a card comprising a third flange depending from the first flange and in'parallel spaced relation to the body portion, and a fourth flange depending from the second flange and in parallel spaced relationto the body portion.

7. A one piece card-holding member for a tag holder, said member comprising a transparent body portion, a

transversely extending grooved flange outstanding from one end of said body portion, a transversely extending tongued flange outstanding in the same direction as the grooved flange from the other end of the body portion, each of the flanges having a depending flange in parallel spaced relation to the body portion.

8. A tag holder comprising a pair of similar opposed coextensive members, each of the members comprising a transparent body portion, a grooved flange outstanding from one end of said portion, a tongued flange outstanding from the other end of said portion and adapted to enter the grooved flange of the opposite member, and a card-holding flange depending from each of the tongued and grooved flanges in inward spaced relation to the body portion to engage the end portion of a card inserted between the card-holding flanges and the adjacent body portion, and a pair of generally C-shaped springs each open at one end and each embracing the adjacent end portions of the pair of members and urging the members toward each other.

9. A tag holder comprising a first card-holding memher having means thereon to receive slidably and to hold frictionally the opposite end portions of a card, a card held by said means, a second substantially identical member, each of the members having a hole therein between the side edges and near the end edge thereof, and a pair of generally C-shaped springs each open at one end and having fingers at the open end, the respective fingers of each spring entering the adjacent holes of the respective members, each spring extending from the holes in one member transversely and laterally of the holder around the members to the hole in the other member.

10. The tag holder of claim 9, each of the members having transverse and lateral grooves therein adjacent each end thereof receiving the spring and preventing displacement thereof.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 

